CHARLESTON, S.C. — The South Carolina Republican Party will consider a resolution saluting Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for his marathon speech excoriating President Obama’s health care law, the latest signal of disconnect between GOP leaders in Washington and those in the states.
The resolution, which could be voted on by the state party’s executive committee as soon as Thursday, praises Cruz and calls on South Carolina’s U.S. senators to sign on to his efforts.
“A RESOLUTION OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SUPPORTING SENATOR TED CRUZ AND HIS EFFORTS IN THE U.S. SENATE TO DEFUND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, ALSO KNOWN AS OBAMACARE, AND RESPECTFULLY APPEALING TO SOUTH CAROLINA’S SENIOR SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM AND SOUTH CAROLINA’S JUNIOR SENATOR TIM SCOTT, TO ACTIVELY AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF SENATOR CRUZ,” reads a draft of the resolution provided first to Yellowhammer.
Graham, who faces re-election in 2014, warned Tuesday that Cruz’s move could hurt Republicans politically in the midterms.
“Getting the majority in the Senate in 2014 is possible, and we don’t want to go down roads that make it harder,” Graham told The New York Times. ”Repealing Obamacare is a goal all Republicans share,” he added, “but the tactics of achieving that goal can have a backlash.”
But the resolution, which blasts Obamacare as “draconian, un-American, unconstitutional and anathema to the country,” explicitly focuses on Graham and junior Sen. Tim Scott.
Whereas Graham is already on the record opposed to Cruz’s approach, Scott hasn’t publicly weighed in on the high-profile fight, leading the Charleston City Paper to suggest he’s gone “MIA.”
The four key paragraphs of the resolution repeatedly name Graham and Scott:
“RESOLVED that the South Carolina Republican Party State Executive Committee extends its gratitude to the Republican members of the U.S. House delegation from South Carolina, which stood together in unity to vote for a continuing resolution that did not commit taxpayers to fund the budget-busting provisions of ObamaCare; and be it further
RESOLVED that the South Carolina Republican Party State Executive Committee respectfully appeals to Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Tim Scott, asking them to actively and enthusiastically support the efforts of Senator Ted Cruz and block the implementation of the Affordable Care Act with their actions in the U.S. Senate . . .
RESOLVED that the South Carolina Republican Party State Executive Committee calls upon Senators Graham and Scott, as well as all members of the United States Senate, to vote to adopt a budget which fully funds our nation’s key spending priorities without providing funding for provisions of Obamacare, as well as to take all actions necessary achieve this outcome; and be it further
RESOLVED that the South Carolina Republican Party State Executive Committee calls upon Senators Graham and Scott to continue to voice their positions on this issue at the soonest possible opportunity for the benefit of their constituents and work to achieve maximum transparency in the legislative process with regard to the Continuing Resolution, so actions both in support of and opposition to the Continuing Resolution are fully known and all members of Congress can be held accountable for their actions.
Republican National Committeewoman Cindy Costa signaled her readiness to support the resolution.
“I support Senator Cruz and his attempt to educate the American people on the consequences of this ill-conceived bill called Obamacare that has been foisted on our nation by force of the majority,” Costa said in a statement. ”I think it has the possibility of changing the hearts of some Dems before its too late. We can only pray.”
Earlier this month, a group of Iowa GOP leaders penned a letter opposing military action in Syria, aligning themselves with Sen. Rand Paul, a likely 2016 presidential candidate.
Cruz, also a potential 2016 candidate, visited the Palmetto State — the first in the south presidential primary contest – back in May.
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